Someone Just Redesigned the Worst Innovation of All-Time

No one needed a Sinclair C5 in '85. And we still don't.

By Evan Bleier

Share This

In 1985, inventor Sir Clive Sinclair revealed a pedal-assisted electric trike named the C5. In 2013, Sinclair’s 15-MPH creation beat out Betamax to be named the worst innovation ever. Ouch.

In an attempt to reclaim the family name from the list of famous failures, Clive’s nephew Grant has built a successor to the Sinclair C5 called the Iris eTrike that’s larger and faster than the original.

Featuring a streamlined body made of Quantum Foam built atop a steel chassis, the single-seat Iris eTrike blends hybrid electric power and pedal-assist tech to hit speeds of up to 30 MPH. The lightweight Iris weighs 121 pounds (including a battery and charger), handles like a go-kart and has a hinged canopy made from extra-tough clear Plexiglass to protect its driver from collisions.

Iris eTrike (3 images)

Equipped with modern features like a smartphone dock for using GPS and streaming real-time video from the hybrid’s built-in rear view camera, the Iris has a range of 50 miles on one charge.

“I took inspiration from helicopter exterior cockpit designs together with aerodynamic crash helmets used for bike racing on the velodrome,” Grant told Cambridge News. “The body protects the rider from high impact collisions, much like sitting inside a large bike crash helmet.”